I’m tired of being mentioned as a hater when I mention Jalen Hurts. I am not a hater, I blindly love a hockey team that hasn’t made the REAL playoffs since 2018 (the bubble playoffs don’t count since everyone made them, but they were the #1 seed…). I am a Philly fan, which inherently means I know more than the average fanbase/city. Seriously, this town’s collective knowledge about sports dwarfs any other fanbase I have ever encountered and I enjoy going to away games. You know what I mean, you’ll come across a “die-hard” fan of [insert team here] and when you try to talk about contract situations, free agency, or higher-level strategy they’ll get that dead-behind-the-eyes look like the simpletons they are. So with that being said, I don’t hate, I am just a realist. And I don’t believe in coddling millionaires.
Jalen Hurts: The Case for Good or Good Enough?!
Back to the auspicious title of this latest musing, I guess people have a looser definition of the word “good” than I do. When I emphatically say “Jalen Hurts is Not Good”, I never thought I would have to expound on the subtext, but in this era of everyone getting a trophy, I clearly have made a mistake. Jalen Hurts is Good, well, Good Enough. Can the Birds win in a week and a half with Hurts–Absolutely! Can they even rout the pansy-ass Chiefs–Most Definitely! Is Jalen Hurts the favorite to win Super Bowl MVP if this happens? No. Are you kidding me?! Go sit in the corner. Hurts is +300 to win MVP, and his generational, transcendental, HOF-bound partner in the backfield is +240 (God I love you Saquon). Christ, Mahomes is +110 and, based on those numbers, the odds make a case for Mahomes getting MVP in a losing effort in some possibilities before Hurts… Need I say more?!
So what does this probability breakdown have to do with the participation trophy era and the subtext of the word good? Easy, I guess when I use the word good, what I should have been doing for all the literal Lisa’s out there is substitute “good” with “franchise”. Let’s try it out, “Jalen Hurts is not a franchise quarterback.” That’s pretty good, here’s another word instead of good, elite. “Jalen Hurts is not an elite QB.” And he isn’t, based on throwing statistics and conventional QB norms in the league, he is not a franchise passer, or “Elite” by any standards that are measurable from tossing the pigskin.
The Flaws Are Real
- He holds onto the ball too long.
- He has extreme difficulty with blitzes and audibling to safety when shown the blitz.
- His progressions when reading a zone defense are not great.
- He’ll take a ridiculously long sack when he shouldn’t (he’s in the gun too much).
But (here comes the face turn), it really might not matter AT ALL.
This is easily one of the 2 most talented rosters that the Birds have ever put together. Hurts’ supporting cast is so elite that he doesn’t have to be a hero franchise QB like the &%@$ on the opposing sideline does (especially when the refs help him out). He needs to just manage the game and above all else, NOT TURN THE BALL OVER. And he has been elite at that! His rushing totals are elite and he and Saquon together are possibly the best rushing duo in the modern history of the game (seriously, I’m using modern here because I don’t feel like some nerd rattling off two white boys from the 1920’s or 30’s that were worldbeaters, no one cares, they’d get killed in today’s game).
So if Jalen Hurts plays the way he has this season, the Birds are undoubtedly good enough to win, and maybe even win comfortably. The Eagles win the position battle in EVERY SINGLE POSITION GROUP ON THE FIELD except for kicker and QB. Hurts playing this way puts us in the best position to win regardless of that fact because the rest of the cast is so elite. He just wins. Now make me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life to be wrong Jalen and do it 1 more time. Go Birds.
Is Jalen Hurts Good? Bad? Good Enough? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.